Ice's Agony
by KingBroskander
Summary: Love isn't all that it's cut out to be. He would know.
1. Chapter 1

**Sup, this is my first story on FF. This is a Grayza story, and frankly, we don't have a lot of those on here. This kind of going to be an angsty thing, mostly due to Erza being OOC and kind of a bitch to Gray, but it's all for the plot! I'll update as soon as I can, criticism is fine, etc.**

The cheers of the guild rang throughout the hall as the members of Fairy Tail celebrated the end of the dragon attack in Fiore. Future Rogue's plan had been put to an end by the combined efforts of the guild's who participated in the Grand Magic Games, hell even Sabertooth managed to join the fight. In all honesty, Gray was happy; happy that the city was safe, happy that his friends were safe, happy that….Jellal and Crime Sorciere accepted the invitation to join the guild. Yes, he was ecstatic. "Yup…it's great having him so close to her," moaned Gray as he slumped his head down onto the surface of the bar.

"Gray? Are you ok?" asked a concerned Mira as she served him another glass of beer.

"Pfft, yeah I guess you can say that." Gray tilted his head to the side and stared at the pretty bartender cleaning the glasses. "Mira-chan, have you ever b….been in love with someone?" Mira abruptly stopped cleaning and looked at him with a gentle smile on her face.

"This is about Erza isn't?" Gray's eyes widened momentarily before he started to chuckle bitterly.

"Heh, yeah, it's always about her. You're a smart woman Mira-chan."

Mira was about to reply when someone sat down next to Gray. She took a swig from her barrel and smirked. "What did Titania do to you this time Gray?"

He raised an eyebrow at Cana and leaned his head against her shoulder. "I don't know, I just feel like I'm so incompetent, y'know? It's like after all the shit we've been through, it seems like she has no place in her heart for me, like I've been replaced." Cana sighed and looked at the guild hall where Natsu and Lucy were striking up a grudge match of darts against Lisanna and Evergreen while Elfman encouraged the team. Her eyes roamed over to where Gajeel and Levy were decorating Pantherlilly's fur, and where Laxus stood with the Master. She swiveled in her chair, and almost fell before regaining her posture, and saw Erza and Jellal talking with Ultear and Meredy; she saw Erza smile and look at the blue haired man while he chuckled at something Meredy said. Cana shook her head and ran her hand through Gray's hair and shrugged.

"Don't say that Gray, she loves you. Maybe you should at least grow a pair and tell her. Are you afraid of being rejected? I mean, you told Juvia that you weren't in love with her, and she isn't moping around like you." Gray shook his head and looked at the Card Mage before fixing the creaks n his neck.

"Juvia found Leon, she was able to get over me in a matter of weeks, which was surprising to me, considering I thought she'd be sobbing all over the place. When I told her, she wasn't mad; it's like she knew I loved her, but I wasn't in love with her. Erza…she's not so easy to get over," Gray stated, as if it were 100% fact.

Cana rolled her eyes and slapped him on the back. "Maybe you should just talk to her. Go get coffee with her or something; there's a new bakery that opened up a couple days ago, take her there and talk to her."

The Ice mage looked at her and smirked, "Y'know what, that's the smartest shit I've ever heard you say."

"Oh shut up, you jerk."

As the clamor of the guild hall started to die down, Gray waited at the bar, waving goodbye to the Flamebreath and Lucy, and nodded to the other members who were leaving. Cana winked at him as she left and soon enough, the trio of Crime Sorciere said their goodbyes. Jellal gave him a stiff nod and Ultear smiled at him as Meredy gave him a slight punch in the shoulder. "Finally," he said to himself as he sat down next to Erza, who was staring blankly at the empty spaces across from her. He put his hands on top of his head and furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at her. "You ok Erza," he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Erza looked up at him and smiled, "Of course Gray, what makes you think something would be wrong?"

"Eh, it's nothing, just worried about you, that's all." Gray covered his mouth quickly as heat rose to his cheeks. Erza laughed softly, making Gray's cheeks turn even redder.

"There's nothing to concern yourself with, I'm perfectly fine."

"Huh…well, if you're fine, then you won't mind coming along with me tomorrow, right?"

"Oh? Where to," Erza asked, seemingly confused to the direction Gray was taking this conversation.

"Cana told me about this bakery that's opened up, I heard they bake some mean strawberry cakes, wanna come along with me and get some? We could just hang out for a little bit while we're there," Gray crossed his fingers, silently praying to whatever was out there in the world to at least give him this one chance.

Erza's eyes sparkled, and she smiled awkwardly at him, before stuttering, "S…Strawberry….I…yes, that actually sounds very, um, very good!"

Gray let out a sigh of relief before getting up from his chair, "Alright, 3 o clock sound good then?" Erza nodded. "Cool, see ya tomorrow then Erza," and with that, Gray silently closed the guild door, as Erza took one last sip of her drink before heading out, not noticing a set of eyes following her. Mira shook her head; she had a really bad feeling that someone was going to get hurt.

**What do you guys think? Good? Bad? Ok? Needs some fixing up? Talk to me!**


	2. Chapter 2

What began as a simple scouring of clothes, ended in a complete wardrobe malfunction, as Gray rushed to find something half decent to wear. Today was one of the rare days where his stripping habit was not welcomed. Seemingly desperate, he chose a pair of jeans and a black shirt; it was simple, yet he knew Erza wouldn't mind. "Heh, Erza is too much of a good woman to get upset over something as small as proper date attire." He abruptly stopped and slapped his head. "A date? This….this isn't a date," Gray thought to himself as he looked at the clock. 10 minutes to 12; Gray walked out the door, heading for the guild. He still had time before Erza would be at the bakery, so he might as well get some tips from Cana and Mira.

Entering the guild hall, he looked over at the bar and saw Cana drinking her well-loved barrel of booze. Before he could sit down, Natsu tackled him to the ground. "Oi, flamebreath! What the fuck is your problem!"

"Chill out Ice Queen, I just heard you're going on a mission with Erza. You bastard, why didn't you invite me too?" Gray raised an eyebrow and looked at Cana who shrugged. Cana was a terrible liar, but she somehow managed to get past Natsu. He ought to thank Cana for making an excuse like that, he didn't want people to know about his "date" just yet.

"Uh, a mission. Sure. My bad, I'll tell you the next time I leave."

"Yeah yeah, just make sure to invite Lucy next time as well, she has some sort of fever, so she couldn't be here."

"Duly noted. Tell Lucy to get better for me will ya?" Gray waved past his friend as he sat down next to Cana. She smirked at him.

"So. You ready for your little date?" Gray's mouth opened a little, then closed, then opened again.

"It's not a date Cana, as much as I want it to be."

"Hmm, sure. You gonna buy her flowers and chocolates? Didn't take you for the kind of sap who actually buys into that sorta crap." Gray raised an eyebrow.

"What sorta crap? Erza likes…"

"Erza might be clueless about how to act in a lot of social situations, but I doubt you can just impress her like that. You should know" She looked at Gray with a sympathetic look. Gray nodded.

"I'm not trying to impress her…I just want to hang out with her, that's all." Cana smiled at him and switched topics. Mira soon joined in, giving him beer on the house for good luck. Soon enough, Gray waved goodbye and left towards the bakery.

Magnolia's Bakery, as it was blandly called, was a small little place with homey decorations and an overwhelming smell of sugar. Gray groaned, it was too much for him. An old woman sat him to a table, as he asked for a cup of coffee, and waited for Erza.

As the day wore on, Gray was beginning to get agitated. The old woman who served him asked if he was waiting for someone, whom he was, but it seemed as though she thought he was lying. More than two hours have already passed, in which Gray spent looking out the window, trying to find the Requip mage. Gray slammed his head on the table, trying to make excuses for her tardiness. "She might've gotten lost. Yeah, I mean, it's only in the center of Magnolia…it must be hard to find." Gray groaned. That was a crappy excuse. He lifted his head off the table and looked out the window again, when suddenly a streak of red passed through. Gray stood up and was about to exit the bakery to talk to her, when he stopped. He clenched his fist and grit his teeth, as he saw another streak of color, this time blue, walk with Erza. He chuckled bitterly, and paid for his coffee. He slammed the door on his way out; as he saw the two mages enjoy themselves to some ice cream, who seemingly never noticed him. Gray walked towards the guild hall and walked through the doors. Luckily, it was mostly empty; save for Mira, who was busy dusting the tables. Mira noticed the angry expression on his face and rushed over to him.

"Gray? What happened?" Gray sat down and laughed.

"Nothing happened Mira-Chan! Absolutely...nothing." Mira sighed. She knew that something like this would happen. She was so stupid, she should've made sure that Erza remembered that Gray was waiting for her.

"Gray, listen, I just…" Mira trailed off as the doors opened and Erza walked in with an oblivious smile on her face. She waved to both Mira and Gray, and walked upstairs to where, officially, the S Class Missions were held. Gray scoffed, and walked away from Mira, heading towards his house, when suddenly, he came face to face with someone he REALLY did not want to deal with.

Jellal looked at him, and sighed. "Gray, I apogize." Gray's eyes narrowed as he waited for an explanation.

"Yeah? For what," he demanded, an ounce of irritation leaking from his voice.

"I had no idea you had previous engagements with her; had I known, I would not have spent time with her, and…"

"Save it. In all honesty Jellal, I think you're a good guy, I don't have a clue what the fuck is going on and why Erza is acting like such a bitch towards me, but I'm guessing it has to do with you. So, by all means, take care of her. I'm used to her treating me like some second rate prize." He trailed off as Erza was heading back outside. "I'm guessing you know how I feel about her?" Jellal nodded. "Then you don't mind if I tell her, do you?"

Jellal smiled at him. "Erza is too good for me; I don't deserve her love as much as you do. I think that it'll be good for you to explain to her how you feel. I'll be cheering you on." Gray looked at him, and was pleasantly surprised with his attitude. He nodded.

"I'm gonna lose to you, that's for sure. But, it doesn't hurt to try." With that, Gray walked away, with determination in his eyes. Whether or not she rejects him, he had to get this off his chest. He couldn't continue to hold it in any longer.


	3. Chapter 3

It was late in the afternoon when Juvia returned from her month long visit to the Lamia Scale guild. A date with Lyon at a fancy restaurant, her heart shuddered in delight remembering the fun she had with him before she left. She entered the guild and smiled at how much of it remained the same. "Ah, Juvia must tell Gray Sama about it!" Her eyes searched for the dark haired mage, but he was nowhere to be found. She walked by Cana, but was grabbed and forced down onto a chair where, not only Cana, but Mira too, was looking at her with strange faces. "Did Juvia do something wrong," she asked, a little worried.

"Nope. But you're going to tell us all about what's going on with you and that guy from Lamia Scale." Cana chugged another beer down and waited as Juvia ranted about how wonderful Lyon was to her.

"So, you're over Gray then?"

"I…I do love Gray Sama still, but Juvia thinks she can move past him." Mira clapped her hands together and wrapped Juvia into a bear hug.

"I'm so happy for you Juvia. I'm so glad he's treating you well!"

"Juvia is too."

As the girls continued to talk, Gray entered the guild with a cold look on his face.

"Yo! Fight me you iced bastard!" Natsu dove onto Gray, but was quickly pushed aside as Gray shoved past him, scanning for Erza. The guild hall froze; no matter what kind of mood Gray was in, he never really avoided a fight with Natsu. "Oi…what the fuck is your problem asshole?!" Gray scoffed, and walked over to Erza.

"Gray is something the ma…"

"I need to talk to you. Now." Erza looked at him, confusion clouding her eyes as she stood up and walked with him out of the guild. The rest of the guild hall stared, completely mesmerized by what just happened. "So, you all just gonna stand around like a bunch of idiots? Or are we gonna listen to their conversation? Gihihi." Everyone agreed with Gajeel as they rushed to follow the two mages. Mira sighed as she continued to clean, when Laxus came from downstairs and looked over the empty hall.

"Mira, mind telling me what happened?" Mira giggled, and grabbed his hand as they went to follow the rest of the guild members.

Laxus, it turns out, was not clueless with what was going on, as he hid behind the trees with Mira and the tiny dragon slayer, Wendy. He paid close attention to the internal conflict that was raging within the ice mage, as Erza began to grow impatient with him. "Gray, if you have nothing to say to me, then there was no reason for me to waste time here." As she was walking away, Gray put his hands on her shoulders to stop her. Gray sighed, as he looked at her.

"Listen. We….we've known each other for a long time, right?" Erza nodded, this was common knowledge to everyone. "And I…shit, I can't say it…"

"Gray, it's probably not important anyways, just tell me whatever it is and then we can go back to the guild hall. I have missions that need to be done." Gray's heart lurched at the sudden change in her attitude. Why was she acting like this…? He had to finish this.

"Fuck it. Erza, I love you." Her eyes widened and her mouth opened to say something, but he interrupted her, "Let me finish please, just…let me finish. I love you, and I've always loved you. Ever since we were kids, today, tomorrow, and god dammit, I can't stop loving you. And it hurts…it hurts so badly that whenever I do anything for you, it falls short. I push myself so hard and I can never reach you. And…and…" Gray trailed off as he looked at Erza, and she stared at her feet, "Erza…say something!"

"What do you want me to say? Do you want to me to say I love you too? Because it doesn't work that way!" Gray clenched his fist as the words sunk in.

"Then tell me what you feel Erza. That's all I want to know." The scarlet haired woman stopped as images of her time at the Tower of Heaven, her time with a certain blue haired mage came rushing to her head. She took a deep breath and decided to let him know.

"Absolutely nothing."

Her words rang throughout the area where Gray first found Erza crying. This was the place where he first fell in love with her, and now she says this of all things? Give him a break. "You're not joking, are you? Please tell me this is some sick prank Erza! You don't honestly think that!"

"I am not lying; would you like me to repeat it again for you? Was I not clear enough for you to understand?" Gray buried his hands in his face as Erza looked at him, neither feeling sad or upset with what she said. It was the uninterested way she said it, as if she never cared about his feelings at all that shattered his heart.

"I guess you're right then. We should probably go back, don't you think?" Erza nodded and walked back to the guild as Gray trailed away from her. He held his head high, until Erza was just out of view, and did something he hadn't done in 7 years. The tears began to form as he quickly took the trail to his house, and slammed the door.

Shock. That was the word everyone felt when they witnessed what just happened. Cana tried to break out of Macao's grasp, as she intended to beat the hell out of the requip mage. "Who the fuck does she think she is talking to Gray like that," she thought to herself. "She has no right, no fucking right to hurt him after all that he's done for her." Juvia said nothing as she walked towards the same way that Gray went and was completely out of sight. The other members called it a day and decided to deal with what happened later. Natsu stood frozen on the spot, as Lucy and Happy looked at him sadly. He couldn't believe that his two best friends would completely break down like that. Not like that. They were supposed to be inseparable, but this? This hurt him badly. He stood up and left without warning as the others followed suit after him.

**So yeah, it was kind of rushed, I know, but the confession was finally made! Ugh, I need to work on my repetition of certain phrases. Tell me what you guys thought!**


	4. Chapter 4

It was late at night when Gray decided to enter the guild. His talk with Juvia, sad as it was, opened his eyes to the harsh reality that he faced. He walked through the hall as Lucy asked if he was doing ok. She was promptly ignored as he made his way to Master Makarov, who was drinking quietly at the bar.

"Jii-chan. Can I talk to you?" Makarov sighed, he knew what this was about, as evidenced by the luggage Gray was shouldering. He nodded for Gray to continue. "I…I'd like to leave the guild."

Everyone in earshot of him froze, well, except for Natsu of course.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Gray tiled his head as his friend came over and punched him in the jaw. He grit his teeth, but still stood unmoving. "Whattya mean you wanna leave, you bastard…you can't just leave!"

"I have my reasons, flamebreath. None of them concern you." Natsu growled as he turned to look at Erza, whose eyes focused on the ice mage. She stood up and walked over to him.

"Gray, if this is about what happened yest..."

"Don't flatter yourself," he interrupted. " Not everything revolves around you Erza. I have too much shit going on in my head right now, and staying in the guild will not help me. I just need to clear my mind, and if I want to do that, I need to just get away. You understand, right Jii-chan?" Makarov nodded.

"How long will this take," Makarov asked. He hated seeing so much infighting with his children. If this was what needed to be done to stop the tension between Erza and Gray, then so be it.

"It's not a permanent thing. I mean, this is my home, I can't just leave. But sometimes, ya just gotta take a break when you're pissed off, you know?" Makarov frowned and watched as Erza began to get angry.

"You cannot be serious," Gray raised an eyebrow as Erza walked over to him. "How dare you. All of this because was due to the fact that I rejected your little confession? Grow up Gray." The sound of a grinding chair filled the air as Cana's eyes flooded with rage.

"That bitch." Cana strode out of her seat, intending on giving Erza the fight of her life, but was stopped when Juvia held her arm.

"Gray Sama already told me what happened. Juvia is sad, but she will always respect Gray Sama's wishes. Please let him handle this." Cana crossed her arms and sat back down, watching the inevitable fight between the two mages.

Gray looked at her, and chuckled softly, then began to laugh. "Is that so? I need to grow up? Maybe you're right Erza. You on the other hand act like you're superior to everyone here. You're not. Think about it, do you honestly think the reason I stopped fighting you was because I was afraid of you? That you were so intimidating, you made me lose the will to go against you? Here's a tip, it wasn't. I cared about you, and even though I'm not as strong as you, I could put up a fight against you. But I never wanted to; because I hated seeing you get hurt. Whenever you were in danger, do you know how much it hurt me inside due to the fact that I never could save you in time, while someone else ALWAYS manages to? I struggle in every fight I'm in, I push myself to make sure that I could be there for you, and it gets me nowhere. It gets a guy thinking; maybe I'm not strong enough to protect the woman that I love. And to me, it fucking sucks. It sucks that I get no recognition, it sucks that I'm not strong enough to do anything, and in the end, I just need to sort these things out, which is why I'm leaving for a while." Gray panted after that, tired of explaining this to her again. He was just oh so tired of being treated like some gum on the sidewalk. Erza's gaze headed towards the floor. She clenched her fists and walked away, she wasn't going to fight him on his decision, no matter how idiotic it was. If he wants to leave, then so be it.

"I see…if that's what you wish, then there's nothing I can do to stop you is there" she said as she sat back down in her seat. Gray scoffed, and moved aside as he shouldered his bags and began to head out. He looked at the guild and smiled. He opened his mouth and was promptly tackled by Natsu and the others.

"Oi, get off me! Damn it Cana, help me!" Cana smirked as she watched Natsu pummel him into the ground.

"You bastard, you take care of yourself, alright?" Gray nodded. "Also, you better get ready, when you come back, I'm gonna beat your ass down, got it?"

"Yeah I know. Lucy, make sure this idiot doesn't get into trouble." The blond girl nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes as he began to dust himself off. He got up and wrapped his arms around Cana.

"I'm not the kind of guy to hug people, so don't take this the wrong way," he murmured in her ear and grunted as she slapped his back.

"Get over it asshole. There's nothing wrong with hugging people." She smiled and asked, "You're not going to say good bye to Juvia?"

"She was the first one I said good bye to." Gray walked towards the guild door and noticed Jellal sitting with the rest of Crime Sorciere. "Jellal, take care of Erza for me, will ya?" The blue haired mage nodded before Gray took off. As soon as the doors closed, Erza ran straight to Makarov.

"Master." Makarov held his hand up.

"If you're going to ask me why I let him leave, there's no need, Gray already gave you his reasons. I cannot force him to stay here. In any case, he'll be back. He spent most of his life here, he won't abandon it." Erza huffed and walked away, leaving an exhausted Master and an upset guild.

**Yay. So there's the big update. I kind of know where I'm going with this story, but give me time. I'm trying to not make it fall into any more cliché categories. :/**


	5. Chapter 5

3 months after Gray's agreed removal from the guild

The hallway of the Magic Council was quiet as Gran Doma, the chairman of the council walked silently. News of Fairy Tail's destruction of the dragons, and the sacking of the city of Crocus infuriated Doma as he passed by the Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit.

"Lahar, is there something you need? If not, then I suggest you stay away from me for the time being. I'm not in the mood for any sort of talks," Doma said gruffly as he began to walk away. Lahar sighed before he spoke.

"Chairman, what you're about to do to the guild is quite extreme, I suggest…" he was interrupted when Doma's staff cracked above him.

"I have no need for your petty suggestions _Captain, _time and time again have Fairy Tail proven to be an uncontrollable danger throughout Fiore, and I've had enough of it. With that, Doma walked off, leaving an exasperated Lahar behind.

"So it's true then?" Lahar turned around as Doranbolt walked over to him. Lahar shook his head.

"There's not much we can do about his decision, so I suggest you alert the presses about this matter." Doranbolt's eyes widened.

"You want us to announce this publicly? But…the guild will see this and," Lahar raised his hand stopping him.

"I know you have a bond with the mages at the guild, and I for one do not agree with the chairman's decision, but it is our duty. For the sake of Magnolia and for Fiore." Lahar walked off as Doranbolt stared at his retreating back. He knew this wasn't right, he knew he shouldn't go along with this plan, but it had to be done.

4 weeks later at a Bar in the city of Bosco

The dim lights began to flicker as the lone mage sat in the bar. Wearing a cloak was something that was completely abnormal to him, but he managed to make it work. He had to; most people would recognize a half-naked, black haired man with a Fairy Tail insignia tattooed right across his chest. Gray asked for another glass of beer as his eyes wandered around the bar. He was pleasantly surprised; the bar was built like a rundown house on the outside, but it felt homey and radiated warmth inside. The men and women sang together and chatted as if they all knew each other. It felt like a guild. Gray grunted at the comparison and slammed his money down.

"Hey, you got the paper?" The bartender nodded and handing him a newspaper as Gray began to read.

"Robbers captured…Blue Pegasus expanding their guild…tch nothing interesting." Gray groaned, he was stuck in the mountains all day training, and the only times he gets a break, nothing happens. Just great. He stood up, fully intent on going back to his makeshift camp that he made before an obnoxious voice was heard.

"Oi! Everyone, the council made an announcement in the paper!" Gray furrowed his brows and scuffled through the newspaper, intent on finding anything on the council before his eyes widened.

_Fairy Tail deemed to be disbanded by the year's end_

**Kind of a short chapter, more of a time skip and giving some information on what's going to happen. There'll be more info on Gray's travels, don't worry. **


	6. Chapter 6

It was noon when the guild received the news from the council. Being a rowdy guild such as Fairy Tail, the newspaper wasn't needed as many members were too drunk to even pay attention to what was going on that didn't affect jobs or missions. That all changed when Doranbolt decided to break the news to them. He didn't want to do this; he was on good terms with them, even after the incident at Tenroujima, but this would make him look like an enemy towards the guild. He sighed as he opened the guild doors. It's been months since he stepped foot here; he smiled to himself. It never ceased to amaze him just how much this continued to grow. He noticed Makarov talking with the bartender who's name escaped him at the moment, and walked over to him. "Master." Makarov focused on his drink, and grunted in acknowledgement.

"Doranbolt, have you come to do the council's chores? My my, you are quite the loyal one." Doranbolt's eyes widened.

"Y…You know then?" Makarov nodded.

"I've known for a while." He stood up from his chair and looked up at him. "Take a look at this guild. You've been a member for quite a while and I know that many here will say that they were glad to have met you." Doranbolt looked around as the Rajinshuu tribe waved at him while Natsu and the others smiled warmly. He clenched his fist as tears started to run down his cheeks.

"I didn't want to do this Master…I had no choice, as a member of the council, I had to." Makarov placed his hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Know this child. Fairy Tail will not bow to the council. We are strong. And we are one. Tell that senile Chairman that Fairy Tail…will never give up." He walked off leaving Doranbolt to his thoughts.

"Don't worry." Doranbolt looked as the white haired bartender smiled at him. "Nothing will happen to us."

"You know too?" Mira smiled.

"Everyone does. I was the one who found out. It wasn't that big of a surprise honestly. Compared to losing one of our most important guild members, this wasn't a shock." He raised an eyebrow.

"Who? What happened?"

"Ah, it's a long story. But Gray will come back; he just needed to clear his head." So the ice mage left the guild; how strange. He fought the mage during the S class exams, and he was quite a formidable opponent. Doranbolt sighed and said his goodbyes. As he walked off, he noticed the blue haired former fugitive.

"Jellal…" The mage looked up and was startled to a member of the council. Erza stood up in his defense, but was promptly told to calm down.

"So, you're a member of Fairy Tail now. I see… I'm glad. They'll take care of you. But heed my warning. The chairman does not know about this, and when he does, mark my words his wrath will not be something you should take lightly." And with that, Doranbolt strode out of the guild. As the doors closed, Jellal looked at Erza, who was in deep thought.

"Well. That was interesting." She looked up at him and snarled.

"Why are you so nonchalant about this? Our guild is in danger and yet…" She was silenced as he stood up.

"The council is a formidable opponent Erza; they will use force to silence this guild. We need as many mages as we can to defend Fairy Tail."

"Where are you going?" He smiled gently at her.

"Why, I'm going to find our Ice Mage, do you object to it?" Erza faltered slightly. Gray…after everything that happened between them, will he forgive her? Jellal sense her turmoil and raised her chin up.

"Erza. He will forgive you. He is a good man, this little expedition out of the guild will help him grow and become stronger, inside and out. We could use that, especially now. Besides, he's got friends who love him, does he not? Erza nodded, dumbfounded at the words.

"I…I love you, you know." Jellal smiled at her before pulling her into a hug.

"As do I, but you know the reason why we cannot be with each other. I have caused you too much pain, and I cannot bear to see you like that again." She grinned at him; in all honesty, she knew. She should've known that he was still punishing himself, but to her, it felt as if a giant bundle of fear has been lifted from her. They finally have gotten rid of the walls separating them; they were together. Even if it were as friends, she didn't care. As long as he was with her, it would be fine.

"Now then, I guess I should go find Gray. Tell Natsu where I'm going. I highly doubt he can keep a secret anyway." She nodded at him before he took off.

**Had to add in that Jerza moment, even if it wasn't a love kind of meeting. I feel like they would be great friend with each other, sort of like Gray and Cana. So yeah, if you guys didn't read the last chapter, this would probably not make sense, but TO THE NEXT CHAPTER I SHALL GO!**


	7. Chapter 7

The flap of his tent shook violently as the storm continued to pound in the mountains. Gray's trek towards the camp was not dangerous, but when it came to blizzards such as this, it was quite a headache. In all honesty, being so far from the guild was upsetting, but being so close to his natural element with no people or buildings calmed him down considerably. His shoulders ached as his hands began to glow a dark blue. Ice Making magic was something that he wasn't born with, or something that magically popped in his system. He trained his ass off mastering it, which makes it all the more difficult improving it. He grunted as the magic began to subside and lay back down, exhausted. Many hours of nothing but training in the cold mountains everyday does that to a person, but it was worth it. He sighed. These mountains brought back memories of his life with Ur; it was the reason he came here of all places in the first place. Though Ul was gone, he knew he shouldn't prolong his sadness over her death. He was over it for quite a while. He turned around on his mat, closed his weary eyes, and began to dream as sleep overcame him.

Only an hour after he fell asleep, his shoulder began to twitch. "Ah…must be a pretty girl," he thought to himself. The hand began to shake him abruptly, and as he opened his eyes, he stared face to face with Jellal. He groaned, "Of all the people…"

"It's been quite a while Gray." The blue haired mage sat down as he observed the surroundings. "Nice place you've got here."

"Yeah. So tell me, what the hell are you doing here? And how did you find me?" Jellal raised an eyebrow.

"You're not going to ask me about the guild, or…Erza?" Gray pushed himself off the mat and looked at the mage next to him. Seeing him smirk like that really infuriated him, but he wouldn't let his anger get the best of him. He shrugged in reply. "I spent months trying to find you. It was a good thing I ran into Ultear just before she returned from a mission; she gave me some hints as to where to find you."

"That witch. As expected of Ur's daughter…"

Jellal brought out a piece of paper and gave it to Gray. "I assume you've seen this, correct?" Gray nodded. "It's been more than a year Gray, the council is planning something big for the guild. We need all the mages to prepare themselves. You and I have dealt with the council before, they WILL act accordingly. Gran Doma has total control over it. He is hell bent on relinquishing any power that Fairy Tail has."

"You want me to go back?" Jellal nodded. "No can do." His eyes narrowed.

"You're turning your back on your guild? A guild where people love and care for you?" Gray laughed.

"You're making it sound like I'm some kind of villain, chill out." Gray put his arms around his head and shrugged. "I can't leave now."

"You're leaving your guild to certain destruction!"

"Jellal. Gerard. Sieg. Whatever the fuck you go by. You're a nice guy, you make Erza happy, and you're no longer completely batshit insane. I get it, I'm glad, but you need to have a little more faith in my guild. Don't underestimate them; they can handle this without me. And besides, I highly doubt having me would change the situation. I still have things to do here." Jellal scoffed.

"You say that, yet I see nothing here. You're in a tent in the mountains, doing what? I see no progress compared to your power before." Gray laughed again and patted him on the back.

"Wow! You're a great guy! Getting all worried for me, I'm touched!" The blue haired mage could only stare. Is this truly Salamander's and Erza's best friend? Surely not. He assumed that he was the most level headed of the group. Natsu wore his emotions on his sleeve, while Erza would many times fall victim to unintentional spouts of anger. Gray was always the one in between them, but this man was nothing like before. Gray stopped with the raucous laughter, wiping a tear from his cheek. The fabric of the tent began to move as Jellal opened the flap.

"Leaving already?" Jellal said nothing as he stared at the ice mage.

"How is everyone by the way?" He hesitated. Now he asks how they were doing?

"They…are doing fine. They miss you, you know." Gray smirked.

"That's good…" Jellal nodded at him as he left Gray to his thoughts. The wind finally decided to calm down, as Gray clenched the mat. Who the hell did the bastard think he was? He spent his whole life on Fairy Tail, and he thinks he knows it better than Gray does? Fucking pathetic. He lay back down, as the faces of the guild appeared. He groaned. Now they're in his dreams? This was so tacky. The images of the guild members faded as the guild hall was shown destroyed. Everyone was captured by the council, as the Chairman loomed over Erza and beat her within an inch of her life. He woke up, startled at this daydream. His breathing came in pants as he gripped his heart. Those images…will the council become so corrupt with power? He scoffed. This was so ironic; it just had to come after Jellal came.

Gray got up and went outside, admiring the stillness of the snowy mountains. He looked at his silver necklace and wrapped his hand around the center of it, remembering how we got it from Erza as a present for his 12th birthday. He smiled to himself. Maybe Jellal was right.


	8. Chapter 8

"It's time." A loud voice boomed throughout the hall as Doranbolt stood at attention. The chairman walked confidently as he approached the young member.

"Councilman, what do you mean?" Gran Doma scoffed.

"Come." He obediently followed as he led Doranbolt up the stairs of the council chambers and towards a window.

"Look outside, and tell me what you see." Doranbolt looked out and saw members of the Rune Knights gathering.

"I don't understand. You want to begin the conflict on the guild today?"

"Boy, that wasn't my question. Look harder." He sighed before leaning against the windowsill.

"I still don't see an-"his eyes widened. "Councilman, surely cannot be serious?! Fairy Tail is a wizard's guild! If you use this, then they are reduced to nothing!" He heard a low chuckle as Doma shook his head in mirth.

"Indeed, it was quite an intelligent decision was it not? Fairy Tail will become powerless and will soon learn not to cross the council." His grinned widened at the shocked expression on Doranbolt's face, before asking the younger man, "You've heard of the guild's travels to a world known as Edolas, correct?" He nodded. "Their magic is similar to this world's magic, except for the fact that it is powered by lacrima governed by the anima."

"Are you suggesting you wish to use the lacrima to steal their magic away?" Gran Doma began to pace around as he inspected the repair of the lacrima that fell after Edolas's anima was stopped.

"The Rune Knights are not capable of fighting mages of that caliber without risking men. With the lacrima, all would be remedied without damages and losing lives. It's efficient, and quick." His gaze narrowed at Doranbolt. "You do not agree?"

"I…if it is your wish, then so be it." Doma's suspicions disappeared as he locked his hands on his back.

"Soon. That guild will be crushed. After so long of having to deal with those law-breaking brats, their time has finally come to fruition." His gaze traveled back to the saddned Doranbolt. "We leave in two days." He began to walk away. "Oh. I suggest you say your goodbyes to those pathetic excuses for mages."

Doranbolt leaned against the wall for support. He spoke to the guild; they understood why he had to do this! So why did it feel so wrong…

For what seemed like hours in his office, Makarov finally decided to step into the guild hall; he scoured the center as he focused on the oldest S class mage.

"Gildarts, it's been a while." Gildarts merely smiled before pushing Natsu onto a table and sat down next to Makarov. He took a sip of beer with a satisfied smack of his lips before he let a boisterous laugh.

"I agree. How long have I been gone, what was it, 5 or 6 months?"

"7"

"That's what I said!" Makarov shook his head.

"Gray's been gone for quite longer hasn't he…more than a year, right?" He looked over at the other members. "They've been taking it hard, haven't they?"

"They're over it. He'll be back, that's why the Fernandez boy left." Gildarts slammed the counter with his hand, creating a large crack in it.

"Excellent! Now, everything will be back to normal," he exclaimed in a booming voice. Noticing the dark look on Makarov's face, his laughter died down. "There's no need to worry about the council. We'll kick their asses."

"They're planning to strike soon Gildarts. This isn't some dark guild where we can beat them with magic and everything is good as new, this is the magic council; the law of this land. Gran Doma is not someone easily trifled with. There are consequences to this." Gildarts guffawed.

"I guess now we can truly call ourselves criminals now, huh old man!? Bahahaha!" Makarov groaned, was there no end to his immaturity? He wiped a tear of mirth from his eye before giving Makarov a reassuring smile.

"Don't' fret. This guild means everything to us; the council will regret underestimating our family."

"I hope you're right Gildarts, I hope you're right…"


End file.
